Page 194 of Bossy Hero

“Or maybe you’ve just developed a fully functioning conscience.”

“Ew,” she jests, feigning a whole-body cringe. “Anything but that.”

“Don’t feel bad about keeping Lettie a secret from me. You didn’t have much time to tell me about her anyhow.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to addunlike other peopleto the end of that sentence. However, I bite it back easily because my anger is no longer with Tomer.

And now we’ve come full circle.

“Mia, I need your help researching something. It’s personal. And you are under no obligation to do this. I won’t hold it against you if you wish to decline.”

“Go on.”

“If you do this task for me, I’d want you to keep it a secret. It stays between you and me.”

Unhurried, I pause to await her response.

She earns mega brownie points with me when she says, “I’m unsure I could hide anything from Klein.”

I lower my chin in a nod of concession. “What about hiding something from Tomer and Lettie?”

She deliberates for three seconds before blurting, “You want to investigate the Holts, don’t you?”

“Yes, I want to find out everything there is to know about Lettie’s grandmother and her deceased grandfather.”

“Wow,” she whispers to herself.

I slant my head to one side and pucker my lips. “Can you blame me?”

“Not at all.”

“Will you do it?”

She trains her skeptical gaze on me. “Can I ask one more question before I decide?”

Negotiation skills. I like it.

“Sure.”

“Why don’t you want Tomer and Lettie to know?”

There’s always a moment when I realize I’ve made the right decision to bring someone into the Redleg fold.

Without a doubt,thisis that moment. Mia’s loyalty is ironclad.

Not only is she concerned about how hiding something from her team could impact them, but she’s also worried about my daughter. She doesn’t have to say it in those words for me to see the motivation behind her question.

Mia strengthens this family in more ways than she’ll probably ever realize.

I clear my throat, buying time to formulate an answer. “I don’t want them to worry about why I’m interested in Mr. and Mrs. Holt. I suspect they would interpret it as me struggling to process my feelings or some emotional blockage I’m hoping to deal with by going after them.”

An airy laugh escapes her. “Are you telling me it’snotthose things driving your request?”

“It isn’t malicious,” I defend.

Mia squints one eye at me. “Are you sure?”

Am I sure? That’s a good fucking question.

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